Hide glue veneering

[HSteier]

My Charleston bookcase project continues. I'm 63. I hope I live long enough to finish it.
Anyway I'm up to the part where I'm veneering the Chippendale doors, sails and stiles with figured mahohany with the grain perpendicular to the rails ard stiles.
Is there any benefit to using my own home made sawn veneer vs. commercially available veneer? I have the capability of sawing veneer a hair under 1/16". I find that no matter how careful I am there are variabilities in thickness, but I guess I can plane or scrape this out once the veneer is laid down. So again other than the self satisfaction of doing it yourself is there any advantage?
Second, I have found in my trial pieces that I have more trouble laying down the slightly thicker hand sawn veneer: it's more likely to curl up off the substrate as the hide glue dries. I have tried the technique used at Colonial Wmsbg. (all their veneer is hand sawn) covering the freshly laid piece with a moist towel to keep the surface from drying and curling without too much success. I can remoisten, reheat and clamp the veneer, but this slows the progress of laying sequential pieces of veneer.
All suggestions appreciated

Howard Steier

[frangallo]

I am addicted to sawing my own veneers as I am totally fed up with veneers cut to 1/42" or 1/50".
I was accustomed to 1/28" when I got into this game and at that time thought they were too thin. However, with the technology comes the answer. The commercially available veneer softener is a Godsend. All you have to do is squirt this stuff on the veneer and lay it in between some absorbent paper and put it in some kind of cauling until it is dry and you end up with a nice flat veneer ready to use. I believe a gentleman by the name of Joseph Hemmingway has posted some information on preparing and laying veneers using various fabrics for the process. In any event, the type of material used in pressing the material is inconsequential. When I use my own sawn veneers which I try to cut to a weak 1/16", I give them a soak in the softener and flatten them as described and then simply decide which is the best surface to glue. I leave the face with a saw mark or burn up and lay the veneer. I know what you mean about the edges curling, but you have to be prepared for such contingencies with clamps and pads. I have an assortment of clamping pads made from scrap plywood with craft foam glued to the surface. Some of these have been made to accommodate the entire surface of a small drawer and some are little guys for clamping edges down when I use hide glue or hot glue. It's like an extra set of hands. That's pretty much it. Happy to clarify if you'd like.
Fran

[HSteier]

Yes thanks. I've done a few more samples and a spring clamp over a piece of plywooed is very effective to prevent curling. This slows down the process but I think I have no choice. My veneer is flat prior to glue up mainly because I'm using small pieces, just 1 3/4" X 6" laid on the rails and stiles so I don't need flattening.
Thank you

Howard Steier

[msiemsen]

Howard,
Are you hammer veneering and are you putting glue on both faces of the wood?

[HSteier]

Yes, I'm doing traditional hammer veneering, glue on both surfaces. I've got som experience but no expertise.

Howard Steier